


Dedicated to You [Levi x Fem! Eren]

by Ackerbuttslut



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Also Erwin is the drummer instead of Mike i'm so sorry, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Music, Based off of No Name but it's called The Wings of Freedom oops, Bassist Hanji, Bottom Eren Yeager, Drummer Erwin, F/M, Female Eren Yeager, Humanity's Strongest, Lead singer Levi, Levi/Eren Yeager Fluff, No Name Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possessive Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Protective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Top Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), ereri, historia reiss - Freeform, riren - Freeform, rivaere - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:55:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21837829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ackerbuttslut/pseuds/Ackerbuttslut
Summary: Eren was The Wings of Freedom’s biggest fan. She had been an avid listener since they debuted in her early high school years, and still continued to listen to their albums after college. Upon hearing that the band was going to have a meet-’n-greet, she signed up in a heartbeat, sliding in her business card due to a dare from a friend, but what happens when The Wings of Freedom decides to give Eren a call?btw i genuinely don't know how this fic is going to turn out bc i've written half of it already but i'm going back to re-edit and some plot elements have changed so it's unrated for now folks!
Relationships: Levi & Eren Yeager, Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 24
Kudos: 110





	1. Chapter 1

Eren walked out of the building and heaved a sigh, exhausted from the shift she had just finished. Eren brought her head up to admire the night sky as she walked to her car, inhaling Maria City’s crisp spring air. She held her keys as she unlocked the door to her car and sat inside, immediately locking it, then rummaged through her bag to attain her phone. 

_ 3 missed calls from Historia - 5:45 pm _

_ 10 messages from Historia - 5:40 pm  _

_ 1 message from Armin - 5:38 pm  _

Armin, Eren’s roommate and long-time friend. She opened his message first,

_ Armin: THE WINGS OF FREEDOM ARE HAVING THEIR FIRST MEET-N-GREET NEAR US!! (Armin shared a link)  _

Eren sat stunned with her mouth ajar, but it quickly curled into a smile as she squealed with delight. Eren then called Historia—an internet friend who shares a strong love for the band.

“Eren! I know you’re at work, I’m sorry—but I’m sure you’ve heard by now!” Historia squealed from the other side of the phone. 

Eren chuckled, “It’s fine Historia, I just got off—Armin told me too! We  _ have  _ to get tickets and go together!” 

Historia agreed and sighed in relief, “I’m so happy! You’re lucky you live close by too! But it’s also such a late notice, I wonder if I can take time off for it.” Eren could sense Historia’s pang of sadness, but reassured her, 

“I’m sure you can go, you’ve been working a lot these last few months too—you can even crash at my place again!” 

The two women have known each other for about three years now. Chatting while Eren drove, they were already planning their outfits and the activities they’d do throughout the day of the concert. 

“I’ll call you later!” Historia chirped.

Eren bid her friend farewell as she parked in the driveway of her house. She double-checked if she had locked her doors before stepping into her shared home, collapsing on the nearest couch due to the exhaustion of her day.

Eren pulled out her phone again to mark her calendar. The day was March 23rd, and the small concert was on April 15th. Eren set a reminder then flipped back to her text conversation with Armin, tapping on the link he sent earlier. It was a news article announcing their concert date.

Eren laid carefully reading the article with glee as Armin crept up behind her, “If you’re stressing about tickets, don’t be, I bought them already! You, me, and Historia!” 

Eren hadn’t been worried at all; she had more than enough money due to her family’s riches and her own finances. The only thing that stressed her out was buying the tickets—that was always a hassle. Nonetheless, Eren expressed her gratitude to her roommate through a tight embrace and high-pitched squealing.

“V.I.P. passes and all.” Armin said in a sly tone.

Eren wasn’t the slightest bit surprised; Armin had always been on top of things. 

Mikasa, Eren’s sister, came in rubbing her forehead, “It’s too late for you two to be fangirling again.” 

Armin and Eren giggled, “Sorry we have something to be excited about, Mikasa,” Eren retorted as she broke away from Armin to tenderly embrace her sister.

“You’re lucky I love both of you or I would’ve moved out a long time ago,” she yawned as she returned to her room. Eren followed into the same hallway to enter her own room and quickly prepared for the night before drifting off to sleep.

________________________

The month fled quickly to make way for The Wings of Freedom’s meet-and-greet. Eren stood at the waiting area of the airport, waiting for Historia’s flight to land. Fingers fiddling with the hem of her sweater as a form of distraction from her own anxiety and anticipation. Eren was amazed that the concert was really tomorrow. Eren continued to distract herself by mindlessly scrolling through apps on her phone until a voice pulled her from her thoughts.

Historia was standing before Eren with a cheeky grin. The two exchanged their greetings as they walked outside the airport to Eren’s car that was waiting. As they made their way home, music boomed and echoed throughout the empty streets; their high-pitched sing-alongs could be heard through their rolled down windows. 

It was dark when the two arrived home, but Armin, Historia, and Eren all immediately got down to business. 

“You got the goods?” Eren asked while smirking at Historia. 

She pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes and continued to inch it down to her nose bridge, 

“Sure do, boss,” she said with a masculine voice. 

The three giggled like teenagers as they pulled out their supplies. It took the group three hours to finish their creation: an elaborate pop-up box filled with their memories at each Wings of Freedom concert they had attended. Armin made sure that each picture was straight and properly glued on as Historia and Eren wrote the letter. It wasn’t anything too fancy, just an appreciation letter.

“Oh yeah, Eren—lemme see your business cards you got the other day,” said Historia. 

Eren was perplexed, for her friend had already seen the business cards, but retrieved them for her nonetheless. She had them made recently in hopes that one day she could put her business management degree to good use. Eren got up and walked into her room, picking up the small bundle of cards. 

“I’m not really sure why you need them. I already showed you the design—” Eren questioned as Historia quickly took the bundle from Eren’s hands.

She undid the bow, took a card and slid it into the letter.

“ — Oh God Historia, what are you doing?” 

Historia only hummed and smiled,“You know they don’t have a manager right? It must be stressful for them.” 

Eren thought about it for a mere second, then defeatedly shook her head after and pointed at her friends, 

“Only as a joke, okay?”

Historia and Armin nodded their heads in agreement, 

“Sure,” Armin giggled coyly. 

___________________

Historia woke up first, jumping out of bed and shaking Eren awake. 

“C’mon Eren! Today’s the day! Let's! Go! Meet! Your! Man!” Historia yelled as she tugged the groggy brunette out of bed.

Eren made a fuss but greeted Historia good morning and they began to get ready. They had the whole day to do whatever they had planned and the concert wasn’t until 4:00pm, but they decided they would leave early and head to the city as soon as they could in order to beat traffic.

Eren stepped out of the room wearing a pair of olive green cargo pants, a black Wings of Freedom crop top, and black Doc Martens—an ideal concert outfit. Historia had finished changing first and was waiting for Eren on the couch. She looked up from her phone, and her smile widened as her eyes shined brightly.

“Eren, you look amazing!” Historia beamed. Eren thanked her and sat next to her. Historia was wearing a white and pale blue striped button up that slid down her shoulders, paired with skinny jeans and white Vans. 

“We look like polar opposites,” Eren noted.

“Then I guess I’m a combination of both of you,” Armin said as he stepped out of his room. He wore black ripped jeans, black checkered Vans, and a loose white t-shirt with the band’s name embedded into it. 

They all laughed in agreement as Historia moved closer to Eren with her phone, waving her hand for Armin to join them. Armin and Eren propped their heads above hers and smiled for the picture. Armin stood up from the couch and extended his hands to the two women.

“Let's get going, shall we?” 

The two nodded as they each grabbed one of his hands, and they all left the house and met with Mikasa, who agreed to drive them, in front of the car. 

___________________

Eren, Armin, and Historia stood in front of the stage with linen cloths loosely wrapped around their necks; it was the fandom’s emblem since the members of the band kept their identities hidden with their linen cloths worn across their eyes. One by one, each member marched upon the stage in olive green capes embedded with their logo: a pair of blue and white wings. 

Silence swept through the venue as the audience waited in awe. Frowns hung their faces as if they were too bored to perform, but it fit their concept of a mysterious band. They each raised their fists, ready to salute their crowd. They hastily ripped the capes off their backs and music began to play instantly; Humanity’s Strongest was already playing the guitar and, not too long after, began singing as well. The crowd erupted in screams. The lead singer’s voice had struck the hearts of many and will continue to do so with his silky-smooth voice; his talent had no limits. 

Humanity’s Craziest and Humanity’s Bravest both joined in as back-up singers from time to time; their strong voices complimented Humanity’s Strongest’s completely—their perfect harmonization would bring anyone to ecstasy. 

The crowd hushed as the final chorus started, instrumentals became nonexistent, and the high energy from the song had quickly lulled into a lullaby. While the guitar hung on his body, Humanity’s Strongest gripped the microphone in front with emotion as he sang the final lines to his song with a heavy heart,

  
  


_ It was like a nightmare  _

_ It's painful for me  _

_ Because nobody wants to die too fast  _

_ Remember the day of grief  _

_ Now it's strange for me  _

_ I could see your face  _

_ I could hear your voice  _

  
  


_ Remember the day we met  _

_ It's painful for me  _

_ Because nobody wants to die too fast  _

_ Remember a day we dreamt  _

_ It's painful for me  _

_ I could see your face  _

_ I could hear your voice  _

  
  


Humanity’s Bravest suddenly began hitting the percussion at a high tempo, high energy returning once more for the grand finale of the last verse. Humanity’s Strongest sang once more. His deep, husky voice sending shivers down the spines of many,

_ Song for the reluctant heroes  _

_ Oh Give me your strength  _

_ Our life is so short  _

_ Song for the reluctant heroes  _

_ I wanna be brave like you  _

_ From my heart _

When Humanity’s Strongest finished singing  _ The Reluctant Heroes _ , he yelled out into the crowd, asking about their night and his band’s performance to which everyone replied with excited cheer. And so, the concert continued. Eren and her friends were mindlessly cheering and screaming their hearts out for the band they loved dearly. They stood at the foot of the stage, jumping and waving their arms throughout the whole thing—they were definitely going to be sore the next day, but it was all worth it for the memories they’d all make together.

Time was whisked away too quickly for anyone’s enjoyment. The band bowed their heads and thanked everyone for coming before directing those with V.I.P. passes to their destination. Though everyone’s energy ran low—Eren and her friends’ energies had burst anew as they awaited meeting the band in the next few minutes.

“It’s finally time. We’re finally going to meet them!” Eren exclaimed excitedly. Armin and Historia nodded their heads in agreement as they followed the short flow of people backstage where they were directed. 

\--

Levi chugged yet another water bottle. He was exhausted—who wouldn’t be after a magnificent performance like that? Levi slouched in the chair he sat in, trying to catch his breath and cool his body down at the same time. Hanji warned Levi that it was soon time to meet their fans. Levi grumbled in reply and complained in his thoughts why he even agreed to do this. He stood and called the attention of his bandmates and friends, “Alright losers, let’s get this over with. I’m tired as Hell.” he muttered as he stood at the door, readjusting his linen blindfold. 

Levi’s face was graced with a small smile as he greeted his fans. Although he was annoyed he’d have to make physical contact with these people while the both of them were sweaty and disgusting, Levi grit his teeth and held his tongue from the stream of insults he wanted to let loose. He was at least grateful that the venue was small so that they wouldn’t have to meet many people. 

The band quickly adjusted to this sudden routine of meeting fans: take a picture, sign the item given, and then give the fans a hug good-bye. Levi stopped himself from cringing each time he had to hug a fan, their sweaty clothing clung to their body and released the most rancid odor. After numerous cycles of people, a small group of friends appeared at the end of the line, holding their gift for the band. Bright teal eyes called for Levi’s full attention. They each said their hellos and hugged each member. Eren then gave their collaborative gift to Levi with an innocent smile, “We all helped make this gift for you all, we wanted to show you how much we enjoy your music!” 

The band hesitantly peeked into the bag. In all their years of performing and making music for their millions of viewers, this was the first time they had received a gift personally, maybe the first time they had ever received a gift at all.

The blonde boy instructed Hanji to untie the bow as he carefully took out the large box. Photos fluttered open upon the unveiling. Before them were a series of pictures of the three at the band’s concerts. Each person wrote a message underneath their favorite picture, thanking the band for their hard-work.

“Thank you for the gift,” the three members said in unison.

Small conversations continued, the band members asking in awe how it was made to which Armin explained with ease. Soon, the group of friends left, and so did the band members. The three members fled back into their waiting room. Hanji spoke as soon as the door closed, “After how many years of performing, and we finally get a gift from a fan? That’s crazy!” Hanji exclaimed. 

Erwin walked over to Hanji and took a peek into the bag, noticing something still inside. “Guys, look at this,” he said as he walked toward Levi and Hanij while pulling out a letter. As he opened the letter, a small card fell out. The lead singer curiously picked up the card off the ground, inspecting it as Erwin read the fans’ letter aloud. 

_ “Dear Wings of Freedom,  _

_ We wanted to write a letter of appreciation for all the effort you have put in since you started! We have all been avid fans since you debuted and have loved your concerts each time we went! In the gift we gave you, we’ve provided pictures of our favorite concerts and albums—” _

“Those are all of our concerts though,” Hanji interrupted. “No shit, Sherlock. That was probably intentional,” Levi retorted. Erwin glared at the bickering pair then continued to read, 

_ “We love and adore everything you guys do! Thank you for making music that touches our hearts! _

_ With love, Armin, Eren, and Historia <3\.  _

_ P.S. I heard you guys don’t have a manager, so don’t be afraid to give me a call ;)  _

_ -Eren“ _

“They've got a point,” Hanji said as she stared at the letter. “We did say we were going to look into new managers since it takes too much of my time now.”

Silence hung in the air as Hanji and Erwin observed Levi’s expression. 

“What?” the singer questioned. An anxious feeling bubbled from his stomach, as he did not enjoy the sudden attention from his band mates.

“You’re the leader of the band, Levi,” Erwin said, “You make the decision, and then we’ll talk about it.” Processing what the percussionist had said, Levi slowly nodded his head in understanding.

“I’ll think about it. Let’s just go home,” he sighed as he unraveled his blindfold, the black makeup smudged and smeared from underneath. He slid his hand into his pocket to grab an elastic and tied up his midnight locks, wild strands brushing his forehead.

Erwin and Hanji followed his actions in a similar manner: Erwin slicked his messy hair back into its place while Hanji quickly tied her hair into a messy bun, taking her glasses from her pocket and sliding them up her nose with ease. 

They all walked side by side with Levi in the center, making their way to their car and back to the comfort of their confidential private life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completely reedited this chapter so I hope it isn't as bad as I think it is, but it's definitely better than the first one soooo :D  
> also sorry for the slow update! I had most of this done for a LONG time, but being in break, I wanted to indulge in my video games so I PROMISE updates won't be this long all the time

A week has passed since the concert in uptown Maria. The thought of recruiting a manager hasn’t left Levi’s mind—he had actually been extremely distracted in the last week due to it. After all, it was too risky—they would be jeopardizing their private life—especially because she was a fan.

Hanji’s hand grasped Levi’s shoulder as a form of comfort, knowing how troubled the short man had been for the last week. “I don’t think it’d be so bad, Levi.” 

“She’s a fan. It is bound to be bad.” Levi said sternly. He was so sure Hanji was able to read his mind and it concerned him. 

“Look, she has all the requirements! She even has a degree in business management if that makes you feel better! C’mon, Levi!” The brunette continued to whine to her friend, clinging onto his two shoulders and shaking him senseless.

“Four-eyes if you shake my brain one more time I think I’ll become a breathing vegetable-” Levi huffed between shakes. Hanji immediately apologized to her dizzy friend as Erwin made his presence known, 

“I agree with Hanji, Levi. Let’s at least look into her first, then branch out?” 

Levi continued to resist, allowing his fears to tie him down, “I’m still thinking about it.” 

Both Hanji and Erwin were fed up with Levi’s constant stalling, knowing his reasons for postponing this for a week now. Hanji angrily took her phone and began dialing the number printed on the small card,

Levi chased after her, yelling at Hanji for being rash, “What do you think you’re doing, Hanji?! I said I’ll think about it!” 

“We all know you’re going to force it to the back of your mind for MONTHS so that we’d all forget about it!” Hanji shot back, annoyed at his insecurity. Something similar had happened twice before, after all, Levi single handedly avoided most of his problems by ignoring them—and it worked—but Hanji refuses to let this opportunity pass. 

Levi continued to wrestle with Hanji, words not coming to mind. Hanji was right and they all knew it—Levi just didn’t want to admit anything. 

Hanji shot her arm up as she raised the phone too high for Levi to reach, Levi’s breathing had suddenly become ragged. With his adrenaline running, he was in fight or flight and there was no way he was going to flee from this. His muscles became tense, and his eyes filled with anger, but Hanji didn’t waver. 

“Levi, calm down!” Erwin called from across the room, but of course, Levi continued to fight. 

A growl erupted from Levi’s throat, husky and dry as he spoke, “I don’t need to hear this from any of you! I’m just looking out for the band!” 

Erwin tore Levi from Hanji as she ran across the house to make the call. Her voice rang across the house as she was clearly talking into the answered phone. Levi fell limp upon his defeat. He felt his world crashing—all because of his lack of trust in other people.

Hanji walked out of her room, her face beamed with triumph over the smaller man. “We’re meeting her on Sunday at 5, look your best, gentlemen!” 

“So tomorrow, where?” it almost sounded like a statement when Levi spat those words with a tone more bitter than his morning tea. 

“Our regular practice room at the label company,“ Hanji stated, not looking at Levi when she spoke; she was upset at him after all—who wouldn’t be after an outburst like that?

Levi marched himself outside and drove off on his motorcycle, angrily making his way to his apartment from his friends’ shared home, his usual hangout. 

\--

Eren was giddy as she rode the bus home, but her nerves had their fair share of wrecking her imagination. She was about to meet the band at their record company tomorrow, 5PM sharp. Eren opened the door to her shared home with a wide grin, an aura of her happiness filled the air of the house. Eren called out her greetings to her friends as she walked into the foyer, kicking off her shoes and trotting off to find the nearest body to share her excitement with.

“Armin! Mika! You won’t believe what just happened!” 

She found her friends sitting in the kitchen chatting while eating their dinner. They looked up from their conversation and glanced at Eren, questioning what had happened. Eren’s smile never left her face as she told them about the news. Armin was thrilled to hear the news while Mikasa sat with a deadpan expression, congratulating her sister without a sign of a smile, but they all knew Mikasa was proud of Eren. 

“Joke my ASS, Eren!” Armin hollered, pointing his finger at Eren while laughing. 

“I didn’t even think they’d actually do it!” Eren said, defending herself. 

“ _ Sure!”  _ Armin said, prolonging the ‘u’ to emphasize his sarcasm. 

Eren sighed, exhausted from Armin’s jokes and laughter. The brunette began to think about her possible future. For one, she could quit her lousy job as a receptionist at her father’s hospital . Her imagination began to take hold, causing her to smile like a giddy child at her own thoughts of being close to the band she loved so dearly. 

___________________

The band sat lazily around the room, dressed in their crisp suits with their blindfolds on, mindlessly playing with their instruments as they waited for the arrival of their possibly new manager.

Levi was tapping his foot nervously, unsure of what was to come. He cursed himself for even agreeing to this meeting in the first place. His delicate hands began playing the piano in hopes of making his mind drift from the constant anxiety aching in his stomach. 

Hanji sat with her phone in hand, waiting to be notified of Eren’s arrival. It was only about 4:35, so they didn’t expect Eren until at least 30 minutes later. 

“You boys remember the plan?” Hanji asked. Both men replied with a hum. 

“If we like her we’ll at least tell her our names.” Levi stated.

“Bingo.” Hanji said as they confirmed the run-down of this interview. 

15 minutes of mindless playing continued until Hanji got a notification. Reading the text aloud, the tall brunette notified her bandmates that Eren was in the building and coming towards them as they spoke. 

Soon after, a light knock alerted the band members. Eren walked in with an olive green button up tucked into black jeans and a black blazer on top. 

“Early bird gets the worm,” Eren said with a nervous smile as she walked into the cramped room. 

Hanji informed Eren that her punctuality was something to be admired, thanking her for being early. The older brunette nudged at the other two men to greet Eren. Erwin waved, but Levi sat stunned, admiring the view with wide eyes. 

Levi was now in a dilemma—Eren was too attractive for Levi’s own good. Her innocent aura rang loud and clear; Levi simply sat with wide eyes as his eyes ravaged the gorgeous woman in front of him. Her soft curves to that beautiful smile, not to mention those damn teal eyes. He swore he could see the ocean within them. 

All those thoughts within a split second. Levi nodded his head at Eren in greeting. 

Hanji committed herself to do all of the talking since Levi already noted that he didn’t want any part of this, but now he surely did. Nonetheless, he sat and let Hanji do her thing. 

Eren listened intently, really wanting to get this job so that she could escape the boring tortures of being a receptionist. Hanji began by asking about Eren’s intention with the band, which she replied with full truth, 

“I want to make this band bigger than it was before—booking more concerts, making merchandise, and taking it outside these walls! I’ve been such a huge fan for the longest time; I want to see you guys stand on a stage so much bigger than the small venues that you’ve performed at all this time.” 

It was obvious that Eren only had the band’s best interest in mind. She was truly dedicated to both this potential job as well as the wellbeing of the band itself. 

“I like her,” Hanji announced. Eren looked surprised, not expecting to get an answer right at that moment. Eren suppressed a nervous ‘thank you’ as she could tell that statement was not directed to her at all. 

Levi was quick to agree, afterall, her interest in the band wasn’t the only thing he wanted from her. 

Erwin opened his mouth to agree, but quickly shut it to gawk at Levi—the man who was against getting a new manager this whole time had quickly agreed to take Eren in. Hanji simply grinned at Levi, clearly knowing  _ his  _ intentions, but at least it got him to agree. 

With the three bandmates telepathically talking to each other, they each agreed that they’d hire Eren. 

Eren, as an outsider, was very confused at this interaction. After all, from Eren’s standpoint, they were all gawking at each other for a good 2 minutes. Pursing their lips and squinting their eyes at one another long enough to make anyone confused. 

Levi stood to personally greet Eren, putting his hand out for a handshake as he spoke, “You’re in. Name’s Levi, but for now, until we really trust you, you’re just going to get our names.” 

Eren took his hand, her mind screaming that she was shaking the hands of Humanity’s Strongest himself—and now they were on a first name basis. 

Erwin and Hanji went up to introduce themselves, welcoming Eren into the band as they greeted her. The percussionist handed the new manager a printed schedule of their practices and asked if she would like to observe. She exclaimed that she’d be more than happy to watch her favorite band practice. 

“Ah, that reminds me, what about a work contract?” Eren questioned.

The three sat stunned. How could they forget such an essential item?! Oh well. “We’ll take care of that another time!” Hanji reassured her, waving her hand in dismissal. 

“Uh- okay then, I guess I’ll be heading out.” Eren said with uncertainty. 

As Eren was about to leave, Erwin took her wrist and placed a linen cloth into her palm, “Wait, when you’re out in public with us, change your outer appearance and wear this blindfold.”

Eren nodded, gratefully took the blindfold, and turned to leave again until a voice pulled her back, “Please keep your job with us within your family  _ only _ , _ ”  _ Levi said with a dark tone.

She slowly nodded, taking in the new information. Then she thanked the band for having her and choosing to interview her and left. 

With that, Eren headed home, ready to burst with anything labelled as happiness. Nearly breaching her front door, Eren erupted with a scream as she announced her arrival home. 

Armin and Mikasa sat on the couch playing games together as they heard Eren’s outburst, “She probably got the job,” Armin deadpanned as he focused on the objective in front of him.

“That was quick,” Mikasa simply said as the words ‘Victory’ covered their screen. Armin hummed in agreement as he nudged Mikasa a ‘good job’. 

Eren skipped into the living room and jumped onto the couch with her friends, telling them about the interview in great detail.

“I got the job! I feel so relieved!" she breathed.

“It was so surreal being in a room with them—alone!” Eren exclaimed. 

“And there was only one bed,” Armin joked. The three friends bubbled in laughter at Armin’s comment. 

A moment of comfortable silence hung between the small group of friends until Mikasa spoke up, suddenly serious about the whole ordeal, “Are you going to quit your job? When are you going to tell Mom and Dad?” 

Eren laid in newfound shock. She hadn’t thought about her current standing at all, and how she was supposed to manage it. Eren gnawed at her bottom lip-- her sister was right-- would she quit her job at her Dad’s company? The job he gave with open arms like the gentle man he was? It would tear his heart if Eren told him she found another job without even mentioning anything prior. 

“I need to see how much time this job will take first.” Eren pulled out the schedule she was given, thankfully, all the rehearsals were in the evening until late at night. Unfortunately for Eren, she’s going to be exhausted every day. 

Hypotheticals began to pile in her mind, causing her mind to swirl in anxiety, dreading the potential stress it would cause her in the future. 

Mikasa pulled herself closer to Eren and into a tight embrace, “Hey, you’ll manage.” 

Armin agreed, stroking Eren’s back as he added onto Mikasa’s words, “You’re the most dedicated person we know, Eren. If anyone’s going to get anything, it’ll be you and you’re going to make everything you do count and make it worth it for the band.” 

Eren was indeed quite a dedicated person, an impulsive one at that too. Eren eventually calmed down and decided to go to sleep, fantasizing about her future as it drove her into a well deserved slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised myself I could take a shit after writing this so yay to useless goals!!  
> sorry it's so long btw, lots to introduce and unpack in this chapter, hope you enjoy!

Eren had been on her toes for the last week in an attempt at making a good first impression. She showed up to rehearsals with snacks, and beverages, a luxury the band never experienced before, but Eren simply treated them like guests in her home. She took notes and added suggestions during each rehearsal, making sure she got in her fair share of participation as a non-instrumental member. 

Hanji set down her bass and walked to Eren to grab a water, “I think we should try to find a gig soon and tease the new song Levi’s working on, what do you guys think?” 

Levi looked up from the piano, adding some finishing touches to his music score and nodded in approval, stealing a glance at Eren in the process. Erwin called for a bottle of water and Hanji threw it at him and he caught it with his non dominant hand, Eren clapped in awe while Hanji cheered Erwin for the nice catch. After he had chugged half the bottle, he spoke, “Not a bad idea, but Eren’s probably already on-top of that at this point.” He joked with a chuckle. 

He definitely wasn’t wrong; Eren had a long list of contenders for a potential venue. Eren smiled, “Would you like to pick a venue from the list? I’ll contact them tomorrow morning, or right now if we have enough time?”

They sat in shock at Eren’s reply. A  _ list _ ? They weren’t expecting that. All of them knew well Erwin was simply joking, but for Eren to file a handful of places ready for the picking, she was way ahead of the ballgame. Eren felt uneasy under their surprise for her work. She opened the list onto her desktop and turned her monitor to the band members.

“It’s not much, but this one is a club, It’s pretty spacey and a lot of bands perform here, but most of them are small.” she said as she pointed to the first, then dragged her finger down as she continued to explain each venue the best her memory could provide her. On the list, each venue was labeled with a brief description that contained each of its contact information as well as pictures both with and without people. Eren presented each with ease as if she had been rehearsing this for a week. Careful choices were made, they each considered the pros and cons of each venue before ultimately settling for the first one Eren mentioned.

Eren took her phone out with a smile, carefully dialing the number of the club chosen as she glanced from her laptop screen to her phone in three number intervals. The phone call was brief, the club gladly took in the band and promised to advertise as soon as possible. 

The manager carefully turned off her phone and set it in front of her, “I’ll get started on advertising, I’ll make sure this club is bursting with people!” Eren said with a triumphant tone, she threw fist in the air and pounded it against her chest as if it were a war cry. 

Hanji gratefully thanked and applauded Eren for her work with a chuckle and a firm handshake. 

“Oi Hanji, I didn’t know you were suddenly the leader of the band.” Levi said as he cocked an eyebrow at her. Hanji laughed, it was obvious to her that Levi was jealous, but excused his little crush as she moved aside and motioned him to take her spot to greet Eren in a mocking manner, “After you, Mr. Leader of The Wings of Freedom.”

Levi got up and shooed Hanji away, swatting her with his palm as he stood before Eren, and shot his hand in front of her, “Good shit.” 

Eren giggled as she took his hand and shook it, “Likewise, Levi.” 

Now, that struck Levi’s heart to its core. The innocent look in her eyes, that melodic laugh, and oh-how soft her skin was. He quickly brought a hand to cover his mouth and dashed out of the practice room with Hanji and Erwin hollering a deep laugh, all with Eren who sat there with a brief idea of what was going on, but the chances of  _ that  _ happening were slim, so Eren brushed it off.

“I guess we’re done for the night. Good work today, Eren.” Erwin said as he walked out of the practice room who was then followed by Hanji. 

Ensuring their leave, Eren revealed her secret weapon. She waited for the club’s announcement on twitter and got to work: retweeting, commenting, liking, sharing tweet, and done. She quickly dialed Historia and bubbled with excitement when she answered, “Hisu! There’s a gig in two weeks in Rose! You coming? It’s closer to you this time, isn’t it?”

The girls exchanged excited giggles and squeals, but Historia quickly turned sour, “Man, Rose? Which town? I don’t even know if I can take a day off that day too.”

“I think it’s in downtown Rose...Trost, I think? Check the tweet I sent you.” 

Historia let out a short breath as she chuckled, “I can’t believe you got the news before I did too, usually it’s the other way around, isn’t it?”

Eren let out a small chuckle in response, agreeing with her friend as they changed topics, and asked each other about their day. Eren chewed on her lip as she told her friend about her day, leaving holes in her story as she told it. It had suddenly come to Eren’s mind that she hadn’t told Historia about her new job as the band’s manager.

The call had eventually ended and Eren found herself refreshing Historia’s twitter for some minutes until her desired tweet had finally shown: 

_ Hisuwisu tweeted: So sad I can’t go to #TheWingsOfFreedom ‘s gig :(( _

With Historia’s massive amount of followers on her fan account, the event was bound to gain more attention than it needed. In other words, they were going to be sold out soon enough. Fulfilled with her work, Eren began packing her belongings, forgetting that she had spent all this time in their practice room even after they’ve gone.

She checked the time, it was nearly 9pm. She had been here since 6pm, straight from work. Eren lazily wrapped the cloth around her eyes as she stepped out of the stuffy room and languidly walked down the hallway to the elevator, but before she could even press a button, someone had grabbed her arm. Calm words were being spoken but Eren couldn’t and wouldn’t process any of it. Was she about to be abducted? Killed? Robbed? Worse…?

Shock ran throughout her body. She was terrified, anxious, she went into a fight or flight. Without even meeting the eyes of her attacker, she threw her body in attempts to run free, throwing her brick of a laptop case to where their head should be. 

“Jesus, Woman! Calm down!” 

Eren forced herself to open her eyes, her disheveled cloth barely hung on her face, but still managed to cover her eyes. She looked up, and regret filled her body. The security simply came to remind her it was time the company closed for the day.

Red ran up her cheeks as she apologized, bowing her head in shame as he escorted her outside. 

“No worries, ‘Kay? I startled you and that was my bad.” He said, raising his hands in the air. Eren skimmed the face of the security guard, her eyes grazing over his name tag in the process. Jean. 

“No, no-- I should’ve left a long time ago, this is my fault.” Eren said as she quickly fled into the opened elevator, praying the door would close faster as her embarrassment hung thick in the air. 

She rushed to her car, checking her surroundings before unveiling the cloth that shielded her eyes. The brunette slouched in her seat, not realizing how tired she truly was until she left. She felt drained.

She had been up since 7am and had only two, very small meals. Eren examined her choices: Armin and Mikasa had probably already eaten, but driving straight home was nearly an hour drive from the music company. Eren settled for the in-between: she decided to buy  _ something _ while on her way home or she’d faint. 

She headed for  _ Kuchel’s Bakery and Cafe  _ her go-to in the mornings for her coffee and breakfast on her way to work, and since it was on her way home, it only made it convenient. Eren simply hoped they weren’t closed. Eren lazily drove down the calm streets, dozing off many times in the process. 

From the end of the road, Eren was able to pin-point the illuminated bakery. She sighed out of relief, thankful that it was still open at such late hours. She quickly parked and broke into an awkward jog, impatient to get something in her system. 

The doorbell rang as Eren entered the empty bakery. Kuchel wasn’t manning the cash register. Eren hoped to be greeted by the warm smile of Kuchel and coo Eren like she was her own child. In the back, Eren heard Kuchel call out to someone, “Sweetie, can you get the front? I’m busy with something.” 

Eren stood, impatiently waiting to be served, but her kind face stated otherwise. An oddly familiar voice calmly spoke as they exited the kitchen and into the cafe, “Welcome to Kuchel’s Bakery and Cafe…”

Eren went stiff as she observed the person before her. They walked out with a bored expression, a silky voice that sent familiar shivers down her spine, and steel eyes so cold she swore her heart stopped. 

“...how can I help you- huh!?”

Of course, the last person Levi needed to see, had shown up. And of all places, it had to be at the cafe his mother owns. Levi internally groaned and prayed Eren was dumb enough to not recognize him, but also had hoped that Eren truly wasn’t  _ that _ much of an idiot. 

Eren was staring at this man in the face, her mind recognizing the same disguised man she saw 5 hours ago. The only difference in Levi’s appearance was his god-damn beautiful eyes and that his hair was tied up with a few strands that hung over his half-lidded eyes and framed his face. 

Through all these calculations that ran through both of their heads, they actually have been staring at each other for quite a long time. Kuchel felt awkward for the both of them, whoever was outside anyway. It was too quiet for anyone’s comfort. 

Eren decided she’d break the silence first, “Lev-”

“Eren.” Levi interrupted, but then quickly fled back to his comfortable silence. What could he say to her?  _ Oh, hello Eren, I’m glad you recognize me?  _ Levi could threaten her, he thought,  _ You better keep your trap shut, or else.  _ Or else what? 

“I won’t say anything, Levi.” Eren said with an airy tone. Taking Levi from his panic,“It’s a part of the contract, after all, this band keeps their identities as secret and that goes for me as well, so I won’t say anything.” 

A wave of relief washed over him, allowing him to breathe again. Of course, he wasn’t sure if he could fully trust Eren; the only thing that woman has on him is her beauty. 

“I was kind of hoping you were a big idiot so that you wouldn’t recognize me, but that’d be unfortunate if I hired a brick of a manager.” Levi jokes.

Eren giggled, “I don’t think I could live with myself if I was that dense.”

“Well, welcome to Kuchel’s Bakery, how can I help you this evening, Eren?”

Hearing Levi say her name made heat rush to her face every time. Eren walked over to the glass case and observed the baked goods on display. Eren asked for a toasted cheese danish.

“Don’t tell me this is going to be your dinner.” Levi said with a serious tone. Eren shrugged, “Oh no, I just wanted to pick up some food on my way home, I just left the record company 20 minutes ago.” She reassured Levi, telling him that she will be eating a proper meal when she gets home. 

“Why didn’t you eat before rehearsal?” 

“I came straight from work.” 

The ring of the toaster interrupted their conversation. Levi hastily popped the danish into a paper bag and handed it to Eren. She paid and left to be on her way.

“Drive safe.” Levi called as she opened the door, turning back to smile at Levi, “What are you, my boyfriend? I’ll be fine.” She replied as she left. 

Levi stood at the counter in a daze. 

“I like her!” Kuchel called from the back. She made her way out of the kitchen to properly talk to her son with a bowl and whisk in hand. “Eren’s a regular in the morning, I’ve tried to set you two up for a while too, you know!” 

“Huh?!” Levi was embarrassed enough as it is, “ _ Eren  _ was the girl you keep telling me about? You made her seem so desperate.”

“She probably thinks the same about you, but that girl is persistent, she kept declining, but now look where you two are! I should make a match-making side gig.” Kuchel said with a wink.

“Mother, I think you’re the one who’s persistent.” Levi deadpanned.

  
  


___________________

Two weeks quickly passed with the band rehearsing according to their schedule. Levi broke the news to the rest of the band that Eren found out, and at the next rehearsal, no one wore their linen cloths. Hanji and Erwin never really found a need to hide themselves from Eren, they trusted her, unlike Levi.

This evening was their small gig that so happened to blow out of proportion. Ticket sales were sold out within minutes due to the small venue and outside was littered with fans who couldn’t buy tickets on time. Getting inside was a small issue with Eren having caught the attention of many. Flimsy phone pictures were taken as the security lead the band in, numerous people screaming the stage names of the band. 

The band was quickly ushered into their prep room where Eren was finally able to breathe. It was a standard room with mirrors, couches and a mini fridge, comfy without being overly stuffy. Levi cursed in the corner of the room as he fixed his attire,

“Hanji, Erwin, did you guys bring the makeup? I forgot to put it on.”

Hanji nodded as she dug through her bag, struggling to speak while searching in the process, “Perfect timing, Eren doesn’t know about this trick either, does she? You can show her, Levi.” Hanji took out the tub of black and chucked it at Levi who caught it with ease.

Levi cocked his head over to Eren who was awkwardly sitting with not much to do. Eren strode from her seat and stood next to Levi in the mirror, taking note of how good they looked together. Levi carefully unravelled his linen cloth and told Eren to do the same as he took his fingers and dipped it into the black balm,

“Stage lights are so bright they shine right through our linen cloth, sometimes, if they’re strong enough, you could just barely see through. To ensure no one can see our eyes, we mask it with black streaks.”

Eren nodded and was forced to choke on a laugh when she realized Levi looked like a racoon. Levi glared at Eren and handed her the tub, watching her as she repeated the same steps he did. 

“You missed a few spots,” Levi said as he brushed his fingers over the empty areas. This was an excuse for Levi to get a good look at those damn beautiful eyes. They were so hypnotizing it concerned him how he’d wish he could gaze at them for hours.

Someone knocked on their door which was then followed by a loud hollar, “Wings of Freedom, you guys are up in 20 minutes!” 

Levi pulled himself away and retreated to his seat, grabbing his guitar. Eren quickly tied back her linen cloth and retreated to her seat as Levi called for another run-through. Eren quickly listened to the music as she turned on her laptop and finally decided to attack the band’s financial problem.

There had been rumors from people who used to work at the company, always saying that their pay was utter shit. Many people theorized that the company split the money half and half with their clients, but something was off- for a band so popular, it doesn’t make sense why their funds are so small.

Eren wanted to ask, but would it have been rude? Maybe she’ll ask Hanji later. Eren chewed on her bottom lip, ideas and proposals running through her mind as she tried to search for a solution. 

“Wings of Freedom, it’s showtime!” 

The band had already stood up and strapped on their instruments, they were currently putting on their capes. Eren stood with them and wished them good luck, “Break a leg!” she said cheerfully, following them.

They lined up one by one, beginning with Erwin, Hanji, then finally, Levi.

Crew members scurried to their sides, giving their microphones final touches as they quickly fled the stage when an announcer spoke. The rave music that was playing pior had quickly decreased into nothingness, “Thank you everyone who came to this special evening here at The Rave! We hope you enjoy their music as much as we do! Let’s give a warm welcome to The Wings of Freedom!” 

The crowd erupted into massive cheers and screaming as the host left the stage. Soon after, the lights began to dim, and the curtain slowly opened. The crowd began to hush themselves as the band made their appearance known, except for the occasional fangirl who screamed out for their favorite band member. Levi took a step toward the mic in front of him, inhaling before he howled into the mic, 

_ “Kneel down, pigs.”  _

__

_ I'll show you, tearing it to pieces _

_ If you only wish for salvation, for the future _

_ Then, kneel down _

Levi took a step back to play his guitar, strumming and shifting chords rapidly with ease. Both Levi and Hanji grinded on their instruments with passion as the song continued. Levi switched from his coarse singing into a deeper, huskier tone,

__

_ A stagnant field of vision, a warped up common sense _

_ Who does this world belong to? _

__

_ I can't possibly know the answer _

_ I'll just paint it over, with these hands _

__

_ With the wings of endless freedom on my back _

__

_ Roaming about, where to go? _

_ If you want a path for you to move forward _

_ Prostrate yourself before me _

__

_ I'll show you, tearing it to pieces _

_ If you only _

_ wish for salvation, for the future _

_ Then, kneel down _

__

His vocals were surely more than impressive, taking minimal breaths between each word, line, verse, and stanza while managing to hold out notes like it was nothing,

_ "Tch." _

The band returned to their heavy rock instrumentals, hypnotizing both the crowd, and Eren, to dance along to their music, which mostly resulted in numerous people headbanging to Erwin’s swift beat of his drums,

__

_ What a mess, the tea's cold already. _

_ Troublesome, crazy rules _

__

_ What do you believe in, what do you choose _

_ The one who will decide is you, yourself _

__

_ An unshakable feelings and vows, in this heart _

__

_ For who, and for what sake, do you fight? _

_ Right now, with that brainless head of yours _

_ Think of it _

__

_ Look forward, follow my lead _

_ If you want to see the truth with your own eyes _

_ Don't avert your gaze _

__

The three return to an intense instrumental, slowly increasing their rapid tempo by each second, they’ve reached the climax of the song, 

_ Roaming about, where to go? _

_ If you want a path for you to move forward _

_ Prostrate yourself before me _

__

_ I'll show you, tearing it to pieces _

_ If you only wish for salvation, for the future _

_ Then, kneel down _

One last instrumental break that signaled the end of their up-beat song, and ending with that silky voice that sounded as if Levi didn’t even break a sweat at all,

__

_ "You did well, for being a mere pig." _

And with the last strum of his guitar, their first song was over. Allowing the guitar to echo, the crowd professed their love for the band once again, Eren couldn’t help but feel the same; she swore she falls in to a deeper love for their music each time she hears it. 

The band could only afford to rent the stage for only a few songs, so after three more intense performances of their most popular songs, the band left the stage with the crowd intoxicated for more. Of course, as much as they wanted to, they weren’t allowed to continue performing or they were sure to lose more than they would gain. 

The trio remained silent until they arrived at their designated room. Hanji bubbled with happiness after plopping into her seat, “Did you see that crowd?  _ And  _ the one outside?! I can’t believe we sold that many tickets!” 

“We’ve got Eren to thank for that.” Erwin smiled, patting her back. Eren let out a nervous laugh in an attempt to appear humble. 

___________________

Eren woke up in her room groggy, lethargic, and drained. The band decided to celebrate their night with a few drinks back at the label. Eren wasn’t much for alcohol, but decided to drink as well to help celebrate. Of course, Eren realized she was getting tipsy, and forced herself home before anything “accidental” would happen. 

It was nearly noon. Eren’s phone read 11:45 AM, Friday, her day off from work, besides the weekends. Eren lazily scrolled through her social media, wanting to see the fan’s comments on their performance last night. Instead, the fandom was filled with questions regarding Eren. 

Many people questioned Eren's role in the band, who she was, what she did, and why she joined. Comments were accompanied with blurry pictures and low quality videos of Eren walking in with the band. 

Eren soon realized that both her family and Historia had messaged her,

_ 8 messages from Three Idiots, One Group Chat - 8:24 AM _

_ 2 messages from Historia - 9:00 AM _

First, she read Historias messages, which to sum up, merely talking about The Wings of Freedom’s new member. Reading the message and attached tweet twisted Eren’s stomach with guilt.

Eren then tapped on the group chat notification,

_ Armin: Eren, we left some medicine on the table for you  _

_ Mikasa: Please don’t drink ever again. _

_ Armin: Also!! The press is going crazy about some nEw mEmBeR _

_ Armin: sent an image  _

_ Armin: Wow, I wonder who that is ;) _

_ Mikasa: Armin, please stop spamming the group chat, I’m trying to work. You should too. _

_ Armin: K mOM _

_ Armin: Just kidding, love you both! Have a great day <3 _

Eren couldn’t help but laugh at Armin’s foolishness, it almost sent her headache away. Eren lazily sat up and left her bed, making her way to the bathroom to freshen up. Eren stared at her complexion; hideous was the only way to describe how horrific she looked. Dark bags hung under her mild blood-shot eyes, her skin was covered in her morning grease, and her hair was a complete and utter mess. Needing to “freshen up” was an understatement, Eren needed a whole make-over.

After some 20 minutes, Eren came out of the bathroom as a different woman. She strode to the kitchen table and popped a tylenol into her mouth, not realizing she still had her headache until she saw the pill on the table. Eren drank a cup of water and headed back into her room to change. 

After nearly an hour of finalizing her outerwear, the green-eyed brunette walked out of her room with an oversized olive green button up, a pair of black leggings complemented with black ankle boots to finish the look. Eren grabbed the nearest backpack and shoved her essentials in it: her water bottle, laptop, chargers, and wallet. 

She took one more look into the mirror in front of her door and lazily tied her hair up. Content with her casual look, she grabbed her house keys and checked the driveway. No cars in sight. Eren sighed, meaning that she’d have to take the bus since her roommates took the other cars. She grabbed her bus card on the table and left the house, checking her phone for the next bus arrival time. 

___________________

  
  


“13th Street” The automated bus voice called. 

Eren’s head darted from her phone to the scenery outside and quickly got up, hastefully walking down the street to Kuchel’s Bakery. Eren was distracted as she walked down the streets of the busy city of Maria, but it all helped to pass time while she walked to the bakery. 

When she arrived at the bakery, she was greeted by its usual business. Sprinkles of people came in and out for their afternoon coffees, many were on lunch breaks, and those like Eren, who sat at the cafe to work. Eren decided to wait out the afternoon rush. 

The brunette picked out her usual spot in the cafe: a small, cozy corner. The wooden walls were decorated with fairy lights and various plants added the perfect touch of aesthetics. 

Eren was pulled back to reality when she realized she had work to do, with the intention of finishing it all as quickly as possible. Now she had to focus on the issue at hand: What’s with the band’s low funds?

First, she would have to investigate the rumors about the company’s pay. If these accusations were true, she could sue the company for their poor practices, but that would cause too much attention, and if it went all wrong, it would greatly damage the band’s reputation. Eren didn’t want that, but she had to figure this out. Perhaps she could talk it out with the CEO of the label? That wasn’t the worst idea. However, if Eren was going to get to the bottom of anything, she’d have to inspect their contract herself.

Eren was frustrated, and Kuchel noticed that. It had long past the afternoon rush, and Kuchel had a policy about loitering without buying anything, but she could tell Eren was in quite the pickle. 

Kuchel decided to not break Eren’s concentration and get her regular goodies and drink and brought to her table, “You know better than to sit here without buying anything, Eren.” Kuchel teased. 

“Ah! Sorry Kuchel! I’ve been stressing over, well, you know.” Eren shrugged nervously, digging through her wallet to hand Kuchel her credit card. Kuchel took the card with a smile and strode back to the counter and paid for Eren’s brunch, returning Eren’s card with a receipt. 

“Okay, are you having trouble with anything?” Kuchel asked.

Eren awkwardly looked around the cafe, there were a handful of people sitting around the cafe, and Eren didn’t want to risk anything, “Can we talk about it in the back?” 

Kuchel smiled and nodded, leading the way through the kitchen and into the break room. 

“Band?”

“Yes.”

“Go on.” 

“I need a copy of the contract that they signed with the label company, I need to inspect it before I do anything rash, but they’re all at work--”

“Not my son,” Kuchel interrupted, almost rolling her eyes, “He doesn’t work, he spends his days writing music.” she continued with a tired smile. “Anyway, Levi has a copy of the contract at home in a safe.” 

Eren chewed on her lip, she was really hoping to get this done soon, would Levi even allow her to see the copy? 

“I’ll ask him for you if you need me to!” 

“That… that would be great.” Eren said, evaluating while speaking. 

Kuchel walked about the room as her phone was dialing for Levi, “Oh, could you watch the store for me while I make this call, sweetie?” 

Eren nodded and retreated back to the cafe. Kuchel didn’t process the possibility if Eren knew how to use a cashier, but it’ll only be a few moments. 

The low buzz turned into a beep, “Hi mom, need anything?” Levi greeted. 

“Eren needs the copy of the contract, could you get that for her?” Kuchel said in the sweetest tone, knowing Levi would be somewhat annoyed at giving their only copy away to someone they still didn’t fully trust. 

Levi couldn’t reject, not with the tone his mother gave him, the underlying  _ if you don’t give it to her I’ll give you an earful later  _ rang clear to Levi through her sweet voice. “I guess. Be there in a few.” 

He tossed his phone onto his bed and headed for the safe in his closet. He sat in front of the safe, contemplating which number pattern was the key to the safe, then opened it. A single paper, folded neatly sat in its designated corner, along with other personals such as his passport and birth certificate.

Levi grabbed the nearest jacket, along with his various keys and wallet on the way out, making sure the paper was folded neatly in his jacket pocket. 

He rushed down the stairs of the apartment building and down straight to the garage, walking straight to his usual parking spot. He hastily pulled out a helmet from the seat compartment and secured it, only thing left now was to be on his way.

Back at the bakery, Eren couldn’t think of a single solution. She was completely distracted by her growing impatience, needing  _ anything  _ to help her think of  _ something. _

10 minutes of Eren’s growing dilemma and Levi finally arrived, immediately spotting Levi when he entered the bakery. He took the seat in front of her, unfolded the contract and handed it to her. Eren hastily took the paper, desperate to find an answer. 

Her eyes scanned the paper and then placed it down on the table, finally realizing what was wrong, “Where are the other yearly contracts?” 

Levi shrugged, very ignorant of the music industry, “Why do there need to be yearly contracts? I thought it was all just, one thing.”

“Because profits grow in your years of popularity, labels need to renew contracts yearly to increase your royalty pay.” So it finally hit Eren: This label company snaked their way around ignorant teenagers, completely abusing the fact they didn’t have a manager, and have kept them on the same low royalty pay since they began all those years ago. 

“I might have to sue the company if the label doesn’t do anything about this.” Eren stated. Eren closed her eyes and sat back, crossing her arms over her chest as she thought about this situation. In reality, it would just be better anyway to just leave the company, the band was limited in many ways anyway, Eren should search for a label more promising, more willing to let their popularity grow even bigger.

Eren suddenly stood up and made her way back to the break room, dialing for their label company. Levi stood to follow her but Eren quickly set him back down, “Watch my stuff for me while I make this call?”

He sat back down, confusion filled his head, he didn’t understand the slightest bit. Bankruptcy? Yearly contracts? Royalties? He helplessly watched Eren escape into the kitchen, wondering what the hell she was doing and what she meant.

Eren paced back and forth in the small break room until the phone was picked up, “Thank you for calling Dok’s Label Company, this is Hitch speaking.”

“Hello Hitch, I am the new manager for The Wings of Freedom, I’d like to see if Nile Dok was available anytime this week? I’d like to have a meeting with him regarding my clients.”

“Yes ma’am, one moment.” the klacks of the receptionist’s keyboard rang loud into Eren’s ear. Minutes pass and Hitch lets out a triumphant sigh, “Mr. Dok is available this coming Sunday, but only for a short amount of time when the label opens, is that okay?” 

“Perfect!”

“And under whose name shall I write this appointment for?”

“Jaeger.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry for the long update, I wasn't really feeling it bc of a fat writer's block :^(  
> dont forget to comment, subscribe, and drop a kudo while you're at it ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im SOO sorry this chapter took so long to do, I was swamped with work from school but a lot of it has paid off!! I got into my top college and I couldn't be happier :)
> 
> Aside from that, the COVID-19 issue has led my county to be closed until further notice, so I guess I'll be in full throttle writing mode from here on!
> 
> In this chapter we see our conflicting personalities to finally clash, although Levi is written to be a pacifist of sorts, Eren's hot-headed as ever. Hope you enjoy!

Eren had the rest of the day, and tomorrow, to think of a game plan. Eren stepped out of the break room and back into the cafe, her eyes darting to Levi, who was intently keeping an eye on her belongings, masked by a bored expression. It was cute. Eren marched forward and sat back into her seat, placing her hands in front of her on the table. 

Levi cocked an eyebrow, confused by her current demeanor. “So, anything good happened with that phone call?” 

Her lips curled into a triumphant smirk and gave a shrug, “That’d spoil the surprise, wouldn’t it?”

Levi sighed, “All right, you’re in charge, I’ll just let you handle it.” He stood abruptly, his body language showed that he really didn’t have much else to go, so he retreated to the counter and ushered Kuchel into the back to take a break; the two resumed their own individual work. 

Eren raked her mind for solutions; she couldn’t just walk in and announce that she wanted to leave the label. After giving up on numerous ideas, Eren simply decides to take her mind off the issue at hand and dig through the band’s accounts, noting that she should start a social media account for them soon. She logged into their email and scrolled through numerous advertisements to sponsor their product or to book an interview with them. Eren looked as if she hit a jackpot, but why haven’t they gone to any of these events? Take advantage of these opportunities? How this band used to work before she became their manager boggled her mind. In the midst of her mindless scrolling, it appeared that she reached the beginning of their email history. Numerous record labels asking to join after they saw their video on YouTube.

Eren’s eyes spotted a familiar name: Keith Shadis. The king of the music industry, CEO of the Record Legion, and home of most well-known artists. Eren already knew their terms and conditions, many of the artists at this label applaud Shadis for his work and hospitality to the artists who work under him, but at the same time, who didn’t? Eren’s determination to better the band took full control of her and typed a lengthy response email, signing off with Eren’s personal contact information. All she had left to do was to pray that Shadis, or rather,  _ anyone  _ at that company, to read her email and call her as soon as possible. 

This was it. This was the best option, and it was all handed to her on a silver platter; all she had to do was to take it. She was what they were looking for in a manager, she thought. Someone who’d bring them to the top. With what they were earning, and with whatever Dok had decided to do with their supposedly ‘annual’ contract, they’d praise her work as their manager! 

Eren spent a few more hours panicking over this situation, how’d she’d tell them, the many ways they could react, and the two obvious outcomes of it all. She settled on telling them this evening at rehearsal. She felt her hands involuntarily grip at her hair, digging into her skull, trying to let the anxiety wash over her, coaxing herself in positive hypotheticals. 

“Eren? I asked if you’re okay?” A dull tone pulled Eren from her overwhelming thoughts, her crazed and panicked eyes stared in front of her, but softened when her eyes met Levi’s. 

“Sorry, just stressed.” Eren sighed. Her head hung as she exhaled, but brought it back up as she inhaled. The fairy lights of the cafe gracefully illuminated the corner Eren sat in, shadows were cast from the plastic leaves that hung on the walls, it felt like a fairy tale moment; instantly calming Eren’s frantic nerves. Eren observed the little lights in a daze, carefully stalking the rest of her surroundings, finally realizing that the restaurant was vacant except for her and the Ackermans. “I accidentally over worked, again, didn’t I?” she said, still looking at the aesthetics around her. 

“It’s not too late, just 5 o’clock.” Levi said, his eyes carefully tracing Eren’s delicate features. 

Levi was pulled from his thoughts when his mother suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jolt, “Levi, sweetie, why don’t you take Eren out for dinner?” Kuchel’s face was plastered with a sweet smile, but Levi knew better than to disobey his mother. That smile may melt the hearts of others, but it was equivalent to a deathly glare.

A frustrated groan left Levi’s lips as he stood, “Yeah, I’ll take you to a nearby restaurant, feel free to leave your belongings here in the meantime.” 

Eren hummed in reply, neatly packing her belongings and placed it at the foot of the kitchen door and quickly made it to the door in a safe distance behind Levi. An awkward tension filled the distance between the two. Walking one block down the street never felt so long before. Eren couldn’t help but fiddle with her hands, not knowing whether to place them in her pockets, in front, or behind her as she walked with careful strides behind Levi. 

Not a single word was exchanged between the two, and it worried both Levi and Eren. Levi decided to break the silence first, doing so would be feeding his pride as a man; always taking the first initiative, that is, until Eren spoke first. “Is this what you do on a daily basis? Working at your mother’s bakery, I mean.”

His eyes widened, he wasn’t expecting her to speak. He cocked his head to the side, laying one eye on her in the process. Turning back, he shrugged, “Sometimes I help her out, but most of the time I stay at home or at the label writing music.” 

Levi swore he heard a light mutter from Eren in response and clicked his tongue in annoyance, “Hey, stop being a stranger and just walk with me, damn it.” 

Eren’s head perked up from having her eyes glued to the ground before her, eyes widened like a doe in headlights, she hurried to his side and smiled at Levi. It occurred to her that they were nearly the same height, Eren being a bit taller than he was.

The family restaurant finally came to view, Levi felt that they already wasted so much time walking so damn slowly, now they barely had 45 minutes to eat before rehearsal. Levi hastily took Eren’s hand in his and rushed down to the small shop. Levi directed Eren to sit at a nearby table as he ordered the food for the both of them. 

“What a gentleman.” Eren sarcastically mumbled as she sat down. She stalked Levi as he came back to the table with identical sandwiches. Levi sat down and placed the bread in front of Eren who quickly took the bread and ate it in silence. 

“How’s managing?” Levi said, his flimsy question couldn’t make things any more awkward, Eren thought. “Managing is managing. I have big plans for next month.” Eren simply stated, taking another bite before continuing, “You guys had so many events laid out before you, yet you didn’t take a single one, why?”

Levi opened his mouth to answer, but shut it as Eren continued to talk, “Not even these interviews or sponsorships, but all the opportunities to create merchandise! Why?!” 

Eren finally lost composure. She couldn’t take not asking these questions, she wanted to know long before she began managing them. 

Levi scratched the back of his head casting his gaze left and right, thinking of a way to word it in the easiest way possible, “All interviews are the same when it comes to us; they ask about our music, about ourselves, if we can reveal our identities. So on and so forth.” Levi dragged a breath, “It’s just exhausting. We did maybe two or three in the past and I hated each one.” 

Eren reiterated Levi’s thoughts for a mental note, “No interviews, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Levi flashed Eren a small smile in thanks for that and continued, “As for merchandise: With what we were earning, if we made a lot of merchandise, we can’t afford consistently replacing them.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow, “The whole thing about merchandise is that you’re supposed to gain more than how much you pay for it.” she said with a frustrated tone.

He shrugged, he felt interrogated. He wanted Eren to stop, and thankfully, she didn’t say anything when Levi chose to stay silent. After finishing their dinner in an awkward silence, Eren's frustration only simmered. The brunette abruptly stood and checked the time before leaving the table, "Rehearsal's soon." she said blankly, leaving before him. 

Levi quickly got up and rushed to her, tailing behind her fast pace, and called out to her, “How do you think you’re going to get there?” 

“The bus.” Eren shouted back, maintaining her fast walking speed. 

“Brat, that’ll take nearly an hour!” Levi said, finally catching up to her, “Just ride with me.” he said, taking her wrist to make her stop walking. Eren jolted to a stop, glancing at Levi before huffing a sigh of defeat, and turned to him. 

In silence, they made their way back to Kuchel’s Bakery. Levi passed the cafe and turned into an alleyway, marching to the deadend and ripping off the cloth that covered his motorcycle, and neatly folded it and placed it back into its proper compartment, handing Eren a helmet at the same time. 

Eren studied the helmet, studying her reflection as she herself reflected on her moody actions in the restaurant. “I’m sorry--” she said suddenly, catching Levi off guard as he started the vehicle, “--about how I reacted at the restaurant. I was just so frustrated with the choices the band made.”

Levi tilted his head to the side, sliding the glass that covered his eyes as he spoke to Eren, “Are you disappointed as my fan or as my manager?” The way he said ‘ _ my _ fan’ sounded arrogant to Eren, it slightly annoyed her. 

“As your manager.” she said through gritted teeth. 

“Then I understand.” This took Eren by surprise, her eyes widening upon his words, “I’m also disappointed with the choices I’ve made with the band, that’s why we decided to hire you. You’ve done nothing but a great job, so I hope I don’t regret this decision.”

Eren stood surprised at how calm Levi was, and slightly guilty too.  _ Regrets. _ Eren wonders if he even regrets starting the band, taking the opportunity, and becoming famous because of it. Eren had only lifted one veil of many that covered Levi, and out of genuine curiosity, she wanted to unveil it all. 

___________________

“You want to  _ what _ ?” Levi was close to seething-- no, he  _ is _ seething _. _

Eren took a deep breath, bracing her increasing heart rate as she finally broke the news of needing to switch labels. “I  _ need _ to switch out your label company, you’re getting scammed!” Eren said with frustration clear in her tone. “I’m expecting a reply from Keith Shadis soon, he’s already shown interest in us, he’ll be sure to take us in.”

“Us.” Levi said sardonically, “If this were an  _ us  _ Eren, you would’ve told us this before you even sent anything!”

“Levi you’re not understanding the situation--”

“I understand that you clearly need to be properly trained. You’re our  _ manager,  _ not our  _ boss.  _ You manage, we approve.”

“You’ve been sitting on this shit pay for  _ years _ and you haven’t even realized why! You aren’t even giving me a damn chance to speak, Levi!” Eren’s anger erupted like a volcano, not giving a damn shit who she was talking to-- whether it be her boss or not, he wasn’t giving her the respect she needed to explain  _ anything.  _

Hanji took Levi by the shoulders and guided him down to a chair, calming him down with a pat on the back. Levi’s hands fell into his hands, drawing out a long exhale. “You want to explain, then explain.” Levi said, his statement laced with passive aggressiveness. 

“You said you only have one contract, correct?”

“Yeah, we do.” Levi breathed, his words muffled due to his face in his hands.

“That  _ one  _ contract is supposed to be updated early by the label company. Updating the contract provides a better royalty-- a better pay.” 

Hanji butt in, “Annual contracts? Dok never said squat!” 

“No annual contacts, less pay, less opportunities to make use of that money like merchandise.” 

“You want to switch companies? Fine then. It’s whatever. Let’s just get on with rehearsal.” 

An idiot coward was one way to simply name Levi at the moment. Eren couldn’t fathom why he wasn’t excited about this news. She was doing justice to  _ years  _ of underpayment and underappreciation. 

Rehearsal resumed with Eren containing her anger, Levi’s soft singing somewhat calming her down. Music had always calmed down Levi. It was always his escape from the harsh reality he grew up in: an absent father, living on the brink of the poverty line, and an alcoholic uncle. Levi hated himself for his short fuse, and felt the need to apologize to Eren although she was clearly  _ still  _ angry at Levi. 

He collapsed into the nearest chair, slouching forward as he tried to regain his breath. He poured all of his emotions into that practice, it exhausted him so much, but this was his coping mechanism. 

Levi was in a trance, trying hard to concentrate on his breathing, the practice, and how he can improve, all without noticing Hanji and Erwin packing up and leaving, bidding Levi good-bye. Eren continued to awkwardly clean, wondering when Levi was going to leave the damn room.

He lifted his head slowly, drawing a long breath as he did so, catching Eren’s attention. He stared at the ceiling, his head resting on the wall behind him, 

“Don’t think you’re off the hook. I’m serious.” Levi said in a sharp tone, “Next time, fucking tell us what you’re going to do.”

Eren felt her blood stir and boil, “You don’t understand, Levi—”

“You don’t either.” Levi headed out the door, lazily wrapping his cloth over his eyes, “You’re stuff is still at the bakery, I’ll be waiting downstairs where I parked.”

With that, Levi left the practice room. Eren stood with clenched fists. The audacity of that man! She was only doing what was best and this was how she was going to be treated?! Eren groaned out loud, thanking the sound-proof walls or a bystander would think she’s a maniac. Eren stormed out the door and down to the parking lot.

Upon her arrival, Levi tossed her a helmet and climbed on, handing her his phone to type in her address. They both carefully unraveled their linen clothes under the helmet, pulling on a loose end to unveil it all. Eren then mounted the motorcycle, awkwardly keeping a distance from Levi. 

As they drove down the vacant roads, Eren couldn’t help but realize how beautiful the city was, even in the darkness of night, lit by the occasional street lights and illumination from buildings’ room lights, all under the dimness of the moon and starlight. It was calming, riding with the wind on their backs in the dead of the night, but not even the serenity of the night could ease the tension between the two.

After some time, Levi pulled up to the front of his mother’s bakery, where Kuchel stood holding Eren’s bag. Eren thanked Kuchel and they continued onto the route leading to Eren’s house. 

Levi quickly escorted Eren home, neither of them wanting to be in each other’s presence for another minute. As soon as they arrived, Eren hopped off and tossed Levi his god forsaken helmet and bid him a terse ‘good-night’, not looking back as he drove off.

Mikasa, who was worried sick about her sister, opened the door immediately. She had stationed herself at the door in hopes of Eren coming home before she went out to look for her herself. She was struck with worry; it was written all over her face. “Are you okay? You didn’t tell me you’d be out this late.”

“Peachy.” Eren simply said, anger seeping through her tone. 

___________________

“They hired a smart girl.”

“Too bad they work under an idiot CEO. Your plan is flawed.”

“Like I said, the less money I have to give to my employees, the more money I get to keep.” 

“No use talking to a brick wall, I guess.” Eren says rolling her eyes. “I’ll leave it to you, cancel the contract and relieve them from this company, or I file a lawsuit against you for malpractice—a case, which I should remind you, you’re bound to lose. Give it up, Dok.”

Dok’s face is faintly written in panic, he doesn’t know what to do, and he surely isn’t smarter than a brick to know how to deal with this situation either, but he flimsily shoots back, “Listen to yourself, relieve the band of this label? Who’d come to them, you can’t join other labels while still in another? They’re nothing without me. I made them popular, I’m the reason why they're one of the top grossing bands these last few years!”

“Your doing may have  _ helped  _ them, but it was  _ their  _ talent that got them this far. You are nothing but an obstacle. You may have gotten them to be the top grossing bands as of two years ago, but  _ I  _ will help them succeed to the top. Cancel the contract, I don’t have time for this.”

“Cocky little brat.” Nile finally unravelled under Eren’s pressure. “I’ll cancel it, then, if that makes you so damn happy.” 

Eren gave Nike a genuine smile, more because she’s proud of herself, “Pleasure working things out with you, Mr. Dok.” Eren stands as she extends her hand to her now former colleague. “I hope you realize I’m not leaving until I see that contract cancelled with my own eyes.”

Dok curses under his breath at that, and gets the job done in barely 10 minutes in an attempt to make Eren change her mind one last time before he makes anything official. Dok handed Eren the now invalid copy of the contract to keep safe for legal reasons and shook hands. 

“And one more thing, Mr. Dok.” Eren says, “A gentle reminder: You are still responsible for any remaining purchases of their latest album or single for the next three months.” 

“Ms. Jaeger, I’m sure you’re in the wrong profession, you’d certainly pass for an excellent lawyer.” He says with a tired smile.

“Don’t flatter me, Mr. Dok, I love what I do as of now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter, hence another reason why it took so long to write. I definitely wanted to write in conflicts between them because i want to portray the band as people who dont know shit bout the music industry because of their teenage dreams and ignorance.
> 
> How they survived this long in the industry with only Hanji barely knowing anything better than the rest of the group, no one knows (that's just my poor writing LOL)
> 
> kudos + comments are VERY much appreciated, I've only gotten a few each chapter, but your support keeps me writing more!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEFORE YOU READ ANYTHING PLEASE GO BACK AND REREAD CHAPTER 4 (PREFERABLY ALL SINCE I TWEAKED STUFF) BUT IF YOU'RE LAZY PLEASE REREAD 4 OR THIS WON'T MAKE SENSE!
> 
> IM SO SO SO SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!!! My editor and i ended up going through ALL the chapters, fixed a few things so that the story flowed better than before, and that lead me to change and edit this chapter SO MANY times! I honestly can't promise that the next chapter will be up in a timely manner since i always take FOREVER to do things but you know what we can hecking hope it does

_“Jaeger...Jaeger...Why does that name sound so damn familiar?”_

It was quite an eventful week to say the least. Keith Shadis, CEO of the Record Legion, accepted The Wings of Freedom with open arms and signed the contract the evening Eren single-handedly broke ties with Nike Dok’s company. News broke out almost immediately, then fans soon realized that this was Eren’s doing, and gave her the title of _Humanity’s Hope._

The evening of the switch, they all celebrated with drinks, which led to Erwin and Hanji both getting shit-faced drunk, leaving Levi and Eren to babysit them. Now, the band has readjusted to their routine at their new record label. In the meantime, Eren has been working closely with the management team at the Record Legion to give her advice and references for future activities. 

However, planning activities was hard when Levi Ackerman was someone to take into consideration. Since uncovering Levi's identity barely a week after being employed, Eren usually spent most of her time with Levi, but their recent argument left her in shock—to see him seething, the cutting edge in his sharp tone that left her in fear and unable to shake off the tension from the practice room. 

So that’s what you’ve been doing for the last month.”Carla stated, clearly irritated that her daughter neglected the duty to call once in a while.

“Yep.”

“And you haven’t even told your father.”

“Nope.”

“Eren,” she said in a warning tone, “You’re just going to have _both_ these jobs _full time?_ ” Carla said, putting an emphasis on the amount of work Eren was putting herself into. “You at least owe your father a simple explanation.”

“I _know_ I should tell him something but how am I supposed to tell dad, the man who gave me this job on a silver platter, that I finally got a job that fits the damn degree I studied!”

“Exactly that, sweetie. Eren, don’t beat yourself up over this. I know it’ll break his heart to not work with his little girl, but you’ve got your dream job!

“Which is why I feel all the more guilty!” Eren said as she pushed open the door to Kuchel’s bakery. She sauntered through the door and to the vacant counter, with her stressed eyes meeting Kuchel’s compassionate ones. The older woman waved at Eren before disappearing behind the kitchen door to get her regular order, leaving Eren at peace to talk to her mother. 

“Levi!~” Kuchel sang as she walked into the break room, “Will you be a dear and get the customer’s order at the front? I put it in the heater, I need to use the restroom!”

Levi looked up from his music score, which was part of a new album he’s been working on since switching companies. “And in that time you’ve instructed me to do so, you know you could’ve just done it yourself?” Levi groaned as he set the papers down and stood.

“Don’t be such a brat.” Kuchel said, slapping his cheek. Levi waved her hand off and took his leave out the door, heading straight toward the heated compartments designated for warm pastries and regular customers. Scanning the compartment, his eyes fell over a familiar name,

_Eren - 8:30 AM_

Of course. Levi rolled his eyes at his mother's intention, but carried the order nonetheless. He stepped out to be met with Eren grumbling on the phone. Levi wondered who she was calling. 

"Okay fine, if you want me to tell him I'll swing by tonight for dinner. Does that make you happy?" Eren said in a calm, but frustrated tone. Her back was to the counter, leaning against the glass case of pastries. 

"One order for a brat!" Levi called, resting Eren's bagged order over her head as he did so.

"Ah, good morning to you too, Levi." Eren deadpanned as she cocked her head to meet his bored gaze. A series of incoherent noises streamed from Eren's phone which she answered, "Mom—he's my colleague—can we talk about this later?" 

Eren grabbed the bag that Levi had been holding and motioned for Levi to grab her usual drink as well, juggling both in one hand. Eren was so bothered, listening to the constant rambling of her mother, "Alright your rambling is distracting me I’m going to be late. I’m hanging up. Love you.” With that, Eren ended the call and heaved a sigh. 

Eren pushed herself off the counter and took a sip from her morning tea, handing Levi her credit card to pay for her meal. Once the transaction was complete, Eren quickly left the bakery, hollering ‘good-bye’ to Kuchel as she did so.

Levi sighed and buried his face in his hands, dreading the memories of three days ago. He felt his mother’s reassuring hands squeeze his shoulder, “I’m not saying anything, but you two can’t keep that up for long.”

Levi grumbled, “Of course I know that, but that girl is too stubborn.” 

“Sometimes, darling, you’ve gotta be the bigger person.” She said as she wrapped her arms around her son and gave him a gentle squeeze, “Now get your lazy bum back to work.” 

Levi grumbled in annoyance and retreated back into the break room to retrieve his belongings with the full intention of leaving the pestering presence of his mother. 

___________________

“Your husband is recovering very well after the surgery, he’ll be resting in the Intensive Care Unit until further notice. Nurses will be monitoring him 24/7, so please don’t worry yourself. You can visit him in a few minutes, I can show you the way.” Eren said with a calming smile. 

The woman praised the hospital and happily followed Eren. The Jaeger Hospital was a very well respected hospital. Some travel across the walls to have surgeries performed on them. Grisha Jaeger, head of a hospital that was passed to him by his forefathers, who have all been doctors or well known surgeons. 

Unfortunately for Grisha, his daughter didn’t want the hereditary profession, and he didn’t think that his stubborn, emotional girl was cut out to be a doctor either. So, he didn’t press her when she declared that she was going to major in business management; it was better than having her cringe at the sight of a bloody carcass. 

Eren wasn’t any kind of nurse by far; her job was to help direct families around the building and share news of the victim. It was a job Eren was content with, but of course, she wasn’t thrilled about it either, especially since she didn’t exactly _work_ to get this job. 

After directing the elderly woman, it was about time for Eren’s lunch break. She sauntered back to the receptionist desk and grabbed her phone and leftover breakfast and hurried to the cafeteria. 

Sitting down at her usual corner, she finally allowed herself to check her phone to pass time before Mikasa and Armin came down for their break as well. 

_2 missed calls from Levi - 8:08 am_

_1 message from Levi - 8:10 am_

_Levi: Call me when you’re on your break._

Alas, the 30 minutes Eren had to indulge in herself, she was forced to spend it working. She dialed for Levi, who picked up almost immediately.

“Ackerman speaking.” 

“Hello Mr. Ackerman, care to explain why you needed to call me?”

Levi let out a breathy chuckle upon being addressed by his last name, “Why so formal, Jaeger?” 

"You started it…" Eren grumbled, a little mad that he was acting as if nothing happened, "Why'd you want to call me anyway? I happen to be a busy woman; I have food in front of me waiting to be consumed." she said with a serious tone.

"I need you to scout an artist for me. I've written most of the title track and I wanted you to hear it so that you'd get the visual."

"Okay, send me the file so I can visualize while I enjoy my lunch break."

"Unfortunately for you I didn't record a song that's unfinished, so you'll have to settle for a live performance.”

"Got a title for it?" Eren asked as she ate her leftover breakfast,

"First of all, don't talk with your mouthful. Second-- no, I haven't thought of the title yet, I just wrote the song out of the blue." 

"Like most of your songs?" 

Levi shrugged, raising his arms to tap at the piano keys, "I guess."

_“[Insane, inside the danger gets me high](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-MOrG1vK14) _

_Can't help myself got secrets I can't tell_

_I love the smell of gasoline”_

The word ‘gasoline’ rolled out of his throat with a vibrato so precise that it made Eren quiver,

_“I light the match to taste the heat_

_I've always liked to play with fire”_

Levi let out a sigh, “And that’s all I really have right now, I'm a little worried that this song might be too short to enjoy." 

"It’s nice. Your voice embodies the lyrics very nicely." Eren was disinterested. She wanted to limit her contact with Levi as much as she humanly could, but since the call regarded the band, she was basically working.

“Thanks. Any ideas?”

“I’ve had a few written down, I’ll be sure to contact them this evening. Is that all?” Eren was starting to get impatient, she just wanted to enjoy her lunch break in peace. 

“Actually…” Levi said, trailing off. “I wanted to apologize for how I acted last time we met.” 

Eren’s breath was caught in her throat. Levi Ackerman apologizing? She’s never heard of it. “I don’t want to work under unresolved tension-- Hanji and I have done it a few times and it never works out, however I still stand by what I said-- “ Levi took a deep breath, “I get that you were looking out for the band, but God, _please_ tell us before you do anything rash-- you’re lucky it worked out fine in the end.”

Of course, Eren couldn’t get a peaceful break after this conversation, her head would be raking at this for hours until she forgets. She couldn’t understand that her move was a no-brainer, but like Levi said, she didn’t like working under unresolved tension either, “I appreciate the apology. I will inform you about everything from now on.” Eren said in the most monotone voice she could manage. 

“Could I treat you to dinner tonight?” Levi asked. 

This caught Eren by surprise, was he really going to treat her to a dinner as an apology? Eren felt guilty for not being over the argument, but being stubborn was her entire being, “I’ve got plans tonight. Sorry.” She said quickly. 

“Then when are you free this week?”

“Look, I appreciate the gesture, but I’ll think about it. I’ll text you when I’m free, okay?”

“Of course.” Levi breathed and Eren felt her heart clench. She felt so torn between staying upset or being moved by his gesture. Silence seemed to have taken over everything for a short while. Frustration, hurt, and anxiety coursed through the air like a rampant river. 

“Eren,” Levi murmured, “Are you...afraid of me?”

“No! No, it’s not that at all, trust me!” Eren exclaimed, “I understand what you did was... necessary.”

Levi huffed on the other side of the line, “That’s good to hear at least-- that you don’t hate me or anything.” Silence again took hold of the conversation for a short while. Sensing that the end of the conversation had come, Levi quickly spoke, “Alright then, see you--”

Eren’s breath hitched, “Tomorrow at 8?”

“What?”

“The apology dinner-- are you okay with tomorrow at 8?” 

“...Yeah, that sounds great.” Levi couldn’t help but hold back a smile, “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 8.” 

“Sounds like a plan.” Eren said, her voice filled with relief, “My break is nearly over, I’ll get going. Bye.”

“Bye. See you tomorrow.” The call ended and Eren sat back, not realizing that she was sitting straight and stiff as a stick. She rolled her shoulders back and processed the conversation, a faint blush creeping onto her tan cheeks. 

“Aw, are you having relationship problems?” a familiar voice quipped,

“Shut up Armin.” Eren groaned, burying her head in her hands. Eren had forgotten that she was waiting for her friends. She wondered how long Armin was eavesdropping her call. “Where’s Mika?”

“In the operation room with your dad.”

“Still?” 

“Yeah, another person got rushed in as soon as they finished the 9 am surgery.”

Eren couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy at her adopted sister, being the one who’d take care of the hospital when her father retires, but Mikasa was more fit for the job than anyone else. She was in her internship phase of education and will be returning back for her post-graduate the following summer.

“So are you going to spill about your boyfriend or what?”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Eren grumbled. “That man is far from dating material. It’s like talking to a wall sometimes.” 

“Yes, I’ve heard after you complained about that event 10 times now.” Armin drawled, “You two have certainly made up after that phone call; you looked so relieved when you hung up.”

“So you _did_ eavesdrop the entire conversation!”

Armin wore a smug expression, “Only bits and pieces.” Eren groaned in response. 

___________________

  
  


Eren sat in front of her dad with anxiety creeping up her body, her tense fingers intertwined with each other. 

“Eren, is there a reason why your mother shoved us both into a room to ‘talk things out’ before I could even eat?”

She couldn’t help but sigh, forcing herself to calm down and exhaling the anxiety from her body. “I found a job.” she exhaled, her breath seeming to stop at her throat after her words left her. 

Grisha’s expression was filled with surprise, and slowly eased into a smile, “I’m proud of you, darling!” 

“Wait—you’re not upset?” Eren questioned, feeling more surprised than her father, “I thought you’d be more heartbroken about this.”

“Of course I’m sad I won’t be able to see my little girl every day and tease her at work,” Eren rolled her eyes at her father’s response, “ but I expected you to spread your wings at one point, and it finally happened!” 

“You make it sound like I took ages to find a job.” Eren grumbled. Then again, two years after graduating is a bit long, “Nevermind, don’t reply to that.” Eren quickly said. 

“May I ask where you’re putting your degree to use?”

Eren slowly nodded, “I’m the manager of The Wings of Freedom now, you know, the band that I loved since back in high school?”

Grisha sat for a few seconds trying to grasp at what his daughter was telling him. “That really popular band? How? What agency hired you?”

“Them—the band. They hired me directly.” 

Grisha sunk into his chair, but then immediately shot back up and leaned forward to embrace his daughter, “This is fantastic! My girl made it big!” 

Their hug was interrupted by a knock. Carla leaned against the door frame of Grisha’s office and smiled, “Sounds like it went well.” She sauntered to her husband and daughter and wrapped her arms around them both, “I’m so proud of you, sweetie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *screams*
> 
> also if you listen to the vid i linked i've been obsessed with the song since i originally began writing this chapter and i hope you listen + watch it too bc the amv is so CLEAN


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LMAO IM SO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE i honestly was stuck on this chapter (yes, for half a year, i promise i was working at it in some capacity i swear) anyways uhh,,, enjoy? (edit: 6 months and I meant to reupload the new ver. of chapter 4...and...I DIDN'T EVEN UPLOAD IT?? UGH ok well i OFFICIALLY reuploaded chapter 4 so it flows better into the tension of chapter 5 and a bit into this chapter)

The next day resulted in Eren awkwardly coming into work to pack her things, shuffling around her desk area and making sure that she had everything. It was an awkward exchange; Eren in regular clothing, coming in later than usual, and greeting her colleagues with no warning that she’d decided to leave.Eren walked around giving nervous smiles and slight nods with zero explanation as she rushed back to her car with a box in hand.

Eren heaved a sigh as she moved into her car and shut the door behind her. She sat, basking in the thought that she was moving forward in her life. Snapping out of her reverie, Eren started the car with the intention of going straight home and into her bed. 

Except, she didn’t. Eren instead found herself at the doorstep of Kuchel’s Bakery. Eren entered and noticed the small line of people Kuchel was tending to and almost thought that she should leave. 

“Eren! You didn’t drop by this morning, are you sick? I have your order sitting in the heater if that’s what you came here for.” Kuchel said, her voice filled with concern. 

Eren shook her head, “No need, Kuchel, I came to speak to you privately, if that’s okay?”

Kuchel was surprised, but gave Eren a reassuring smile, “Of course! Come, go sit in the back, I’ll get to you when I can.” With that, Eren strode past Kuchel and pushed through the door behind her, and strode to the back room and waited.

A soft click pulled Eren from her thoughts, making her head go up in alarm. 

“Sorry for making you wait like that, Eren.” Kuchel said with a soft tone, giving eren an apologetic smile. 

Eren shook her head, “Don’t worry, work should come first.” 

Kuchel shook her head with a smile and moved herself to sit next to the brunette and laced their arms together, leaning into Eren, “So, what is it? Finally here to tell me you have a crush on my son?” The older woman said excitedly. 

Eren gave a nervous smile, “I actually was going to ask to work here…” her voice trailing off, feeling awkward about the situation she was suddenly put in. 

“Of course you can work here,” Kuchel said, unfazed by Eren’s awkwardness, “family members don’t get paid though.” The older woman said with a wink. Eren let out a groan and gave Kuchel a tired smile.

“I wasn’t going to ask for a pay anyway since I’m full time with the band now.” 

“So, when would you like to start?”

“Would tomorrow be fine?”

“Sure, just come around 5:30 am, that’s when I open up the bakery to prep.” 

“I don’t know how I could thank you, Kuchel!” 

“You can start with buying the pastry and tea you forgot this morning!” Her words laced with playful passive aggression, but always saved face with an angelic smile.

___________________

The day slowly dragged into the evening. For two hours, Eren was trying to calm her nerves whilst going through 10 cycles of her entire wardrobe. Levi never told her what kind of dinner he’d be treating her to. ‘ _ It’s just an apology dinner, it shouldn’t be much.’  _ she constantly told herself. At the moment Eren was dressed in a loose white button up and a high waisted velvet pencil skirt with a slit on the right leg. She liked the outfit, but she felt that it was too revealing.

It was 7:40pm when the doorbell rang, “Of course he’s early. Damn his punctuality.” Eren cursed out loud, “I guess this will have to do.” Eren said, giving herself a final look-over before leaving her room. 

Low and behold, as Eren stepped into the living room, she was met with Levi who was standing, ready to greet her. His hair was down, unlike how it’s usually tied up. Either was a sight to see. He wore a loose white button up as well, the top three buttons were undone and gave Eren the view of her life. His milky white skin glistened, showing his defined collarbone beautifully and teasing a bit of his chest. Eren’s breath was caught at the back of her throat. She hadn’t even finished looking him over but  _ man _ was he built like a greek god. 

“Whoa talk about coordination.” Armin whistled, closing the door. Mikasa agreed as she passed through the hallway. She wore a deep red cocktail dress that hugged her figure nicely. 

“Where are  _ you _ going?” Eren asked. Mikasa halted in her tracks,

“A date.” Was the only answer Mikasa would provide. Eren knew she wouldn’t get anything out of her until later tonight, “Don’t be out too late.” 

“You’re the one going on a date, I should be telling you that.” Eren quipped .

Mikasa smiled and made her way to the group, wrapping Eren in a tight hug while throwing Levi a glare, “Bring her back in one piece.” 

“It’s just dinner, calm down.”Levi said, slightly annoyed. 

Her glare was unfazed, “I’d like her back by 9 the latest.”

Eren rolled her eyes at her sister and opted to pry out of Mikasa’s arms and drag Levi out the door. “Sorry about that. Mika’s always been that protective, don’t take it the wrong way.” she says as she sits at the edge of the bike.

Levi slides in front of Eren before replying, “Hanji’s as bad as they come by. If I can deal with her I can deal with anything. Besides, she just cares about you, no harm there.” He puts on his helmet and hands Eren hers.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s just a bit suffocating sometimes, you know?” she says getting up to reposition herself, pressing her body against his back. 

Levi quickly starts the engine and rides off, making Eren hold on even tighter out of fear of falling off. A smirk crept up his face under his helmet.

\--- 

The pair walked into a family owned restaurant, not as simple as the last time Levi took Eren out to dinner, but it was certainly an upgrade. Located in uptown Maria, the restaurant gave a cozy, cottage-like feel. They were ushered into seats as soon as they walked in and were given menus. A comfortable silence fell between the two. 

Though classical music and light chatter filled the air, Levi’s lack of a social presence made Eren a bit anxious.  _ Think of something! Maybe work related? No, I don’t think he’d want to hear about that…  _

As if Levi could sense Eren’s inner turmoil, he decided to speak up, “So why did you choose management?” His question pulled Eren out of her thoughts, leaving her to pause to think. “Surely you would’ve had a more stable position at your father’s hospital?” 

Eren let out a tired sigh, “Yeah, you’re right, but medicinal things were never for me. I always thought it was gross and boring.” Eren’s face rested in her palms as she continued to think, “I don’t know when it started, but whenever there was an event at school, I’d love to be in charge. Organizing, scheduling, and seeing the finished product within a few weeks always felt great, you know?”

Levi hummed in response, “But why for music?” 

Eren shrugged, “I guess listening to your music just made me passionate about it. I became a huge music nerd in highschool-- I was in my high school’s band and guitar club.” 

“Now that I think about it, I was in charge of the music festival at my school. I ended up being too busy with coordinating to participate, but I felt satisfied in the end; being able to watch the hard work pay off.” 

“I’d like to see you perform one of these days, you seem to have an impressive background.” Levi said, clearly interested in the topic of Eren’s childhood. 

Ere shook her head, “Not really, I was never the best at what I did. I was never the first chair of my section or a lead soloist. I just happened to enjoy what I did a lot.” she chuckled. “So, what about you?”

Just as Levi was going to answer, they were interrupted by a waiter. They ordered their food and continued their conversation, “To be honest, the band kind of started out as a joke.”

Eren leaned in, soaking in whatever Levi was telling her, “I also happened to be a huge music nerd throughout my life. My Uncle got me a piano out of the blue and insisted I start to play it, even got me a private tutor.” Levi looked so peaceful in his nostalgic daze, Eren thought. “ I was about 10, and after piano, my interests just grew. When I hit middle school I picked up the cello and in highschool, I started to teach myself guitar and singing.”

“My academics were okay back then, but nothing really interested me. I met Hanji in middle school when I started orchestra, she was a bassist, so she sat behind me. Unfortunately, I’ve been stuck with her since.” Levi chuckled, “Hanji has been crushing on Erwin since 11th grade since they had some classes together, and later found out he was a percussionist at our high school’s band. Hanji started to invite him to our daily hangouts and I guess he stuck.” 

By the time their food arrived, they were too into their conversations to stop and eat, “So It started once after school; we were all hanging around in a practice room and I decided to tell them I started to write some songs. Hanji bugged the hell out of me about it and I sang it in front of them.” 

“Wait, is that what your first video was about?” Eren asked. Levi nodded.

“That shitstain Hanji recorded our practice sessions and posted it on YouTube behind my back. That happened near the end of our senior year. Dok reached out to us, and we’ve been with that shitty company since… or until now, I guess.” 

“Such a humble beginning.” Eren teased.

Dinner after that, went smoother than Levi planned. He thought that Eren would still be frigid, but seeing her comfortable made him relieved. Later they’d fight over the bill and Levi would win, earning an eager suggestion out of Eren, “Fine, next time we go out I’ll pay for dinner.” 

“Next time?” 

“Yes, to make it...even.” 

“Hm. Alright.” 

Levi took Eren back home, and continued a light conversation toward her door, “Thanks for tonight, really.”

“The pleasure is mine, Jaeger.” Just as they reached the doorstep it was already open, Mikasa was letting out her date. 

“Ah Eren! Welcome back.” Mikasa said, “Hey, meet Jean.” 

_ Jean. Goddesses please no.  _

“Hey, you look...familiar?” 

“You probably have seen her at the hospital.” Mikasa answered, Jean nodded. Eren internally thanked Mikasa for unintentionally covering for her, praying to the goddesses that this  _ really  _ wasn’t the same bodyguard she practically harassed last week.

Levi pat Eren on the head, pulling her out of her anxious thoughts, “I’m gonna get going. I’ll text you when I get back home.”

Eren gave Levi a smile, “Yeah, have a safe trip.” 

Jean followed up, “Yeah I’ll get going too, good night Mika.” he said, pecking her on the cheek.

The two girls watched their dates leave and walked back inside. Eren spoke first, “How’d you meet him?”

Mikasa paused to think, “It was about three weeks ago his mom was rushed in for an emergency. Dad insisted I calm him down in the waiting room before going into the ER. We talked for a bit after I calmed him down, but by the time I was finished with the surgery I was scheduled for another one, so I didn’t get to catch him again until later.” 

“So you’ve been seeing him for almost a month?” 

“Hmm, no, more like he came back about last week, saying a lunatic beat him up while on duty and just wanted to see if there was anything wrong with him. I guess he took that opportunity to snuff me out and ask me for dinner.” 

Eren groaned. “Me. I was the lunatic. He works at Dok’s record label as a security guard. I was there late planning and I thought he was gonna mug me or something!”

“So you beat him up?” Mikasa couldn’t help but let out a laugh, 

“No! I didn’t, I just bonked him with my laptop.” 

Mikasa couldn’t hold it in anymore at that, she was busy holding her stomach and gasping for air. 

“Mika, this is kind of serious, he took a good look at me and Levi, If something were to get out about our identities I’d be screwed.”

The ravenette let out a giggle sigh and leaned on the brunette, “I’m sure he won’t say anything. I trust Jean, you should too.” 

“Yeah I hope so.” Eren groaned, “Well, I need to sleep early tonight, my day job starts tomorrow at 5 am.” She announced, kissing Mikasa’s temple as she got up.

___________________

The brunette woke up with a start, dreading that she agreed to be at the bakery  _ this  _ early in the morning. She owed Kuchel a lot for her generosity, she couldn’t bear to let that woman down. She dressed comfortably, surmising she’d be up and about all day, deciding on simple black leggings and an oversized tee-shirt. Eren felt too drowsy to drive, so she opted to take the bus, checking the clock it was about 5:15 am, praying she’d be there on time. 

\----

After many attempts to stay awake on the bus and constant head bobbing due to her drowsiness, Eren managed to make it to her stop and jog to the bakery. Upon her arrival, she checked the time, 5:41. The bakery was dimly lit. Only the kitchen light was on in the back. Eren tried to open the front door, but it was locked, surmising that maybe Kuchel wanted her to enter through the back in the mornings. 

She walked toward the side and spotted the door and opened it. “Sorry for being late Kuchel!” Eren called out, “The buses took longer than I expected.” She stepped inside and was welcomed by the warmth of the bakery and its sweet smell of freshly brewed tea and raw dough.

Levi quickly came out of the break room, confused who the hell was in the bakery, “Eren? What are you doing here?” 

“Because I have a habit of planning 3 months ahead so now I have too much free time. Where’s Kuchel? She said she’d meet me here.”

And then it hit them. Kuchel was once again trying to set them up. “How annoying.” Levi groaned. 

“Who the fuck?!” yelled a voice, “Who the hell’s in the bakery at this hour?!”

The back door of the bakery opened behind Eren. The pungent smell of cigar smoke suddenly tainted the air. A tall, old man came into Eren’s view, approaching her.

“Now who the hell are you sweetheart?” Kenny asked as he loomed over the brunette,

“Kenny, that’s Eren, my manager.” Levi said camly,

“And, I guess your new co-worker?” Eren said nervously. 

Kenny took a moment to process before he deemed Eren somewhat trustworthy, “Well, I’m sorry for my rude intrusion earlier darling.” Kenny tipped his hat to Eren, “Call me Kenny, sweetheart. Welcome to the bakery.”

After the rather eventful introductions, Eren found out that Kenny helped his sister Kuchel buy the bakery and came in the mornings to prep before he did his own thing for the rest of the day. What did he do in his free time? Eren wouldn’t want to know. 

The two men taught Eren how to brew teas and knead certain doughs, amazed that everything Kuchel sold was completely homemade, and certainly made with love (if you called two old vulgar men lovable, then sure). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok this chapter was so hard to write for the main reason being that i didn't want to rush levi/eren's relationship (though i think i already did >_>) im so bad at writing im sorry yall gotta read this but i REALLY like the the climax of the story (aka where the whole idea began) so that's motivating me to finish rn :)


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